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Pedestrian Safety for Teens

Surprisingly, when it comes to walking safely, teenagers are now the most at-risk youth for pedestrian injuries. Cell phones and other handheld gadgets are causing teens to be more easily distracted, which is leading to greater risk on the roads. Make sure your teen focuses on the road with these tips.

Top Safety Tips

If your children need to use a cell phone, make sure they stop walking and find a safe area to talk. When using headphones, kids should be sure to look up and pay extra attention and remove the headphones when crossing the street.

Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Most injuries happen mid-block or someplace other than intersections.

It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.

Tell kids to look left, right and left again when crossing the street. Teach them to never run or dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Remind kids to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them and to watch out for cars that are turning or backing up.